They didn't. Our trained diplomat decided to bring Porthos along on this diplomatic meeting. As a result, Porthos not only pees on their sacred trees which offends the natives but also contracts something that might kill him. All of this would have been avoided if Archer didn't bring his freaking dog.

I initially detested Phlox, simply because he reminded me too much of Neelix

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So, it wasn't just me then?

Although, I never hated Phlox, or Neelix. In fact, I've never hated a Star Trek character more than Trip. Luxwana Troi came close, but even SHE didn't annoy me simply by being onscreen the way Trip did.

Enterprise is the only series in which I loved all of the characters - every other series (for me) had at least one character that grated on me - and that makes Enterprise even more appealing. It also has (in my humble opinion) the best looking cast.

I like the ENT characters. Unlike VOY where i detest half the main crew. I have no problems with any of the ENT characters. Obviously Travis and Hoshi got the shaft when it came to development but they weren't unlikable.

I kinda had a hard time with Trip at first -- something about that "twangy" accent and his persponality. I flat out disliked T'Pol in season 1. I started to warm to Trip in season 2 with the episode where the crew went a little bonkers, can't think of the name of it right now. I really started liking T'Pol in season 3 when she finally started to come apart at the seams. She was too perfect in season 1 and was obnoxious about it.

They didn't. Our trained diplomat decided to bring Porthos along on this diplomatic meeting. As a result, Porthos not only pees on their sacred trees which offends the natives but also contracts something that might kill him. All of this would have been avoided if Archer didn't bring his freaking dog.

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He's lucky they didn't kill the dog on the spot. Even if they had done that his reaction would have been just as idiotic, amateur and diplomacy retarded. I know people say they were new at it, untested etc.. but ffs if WE can see how just taking the dog down there was dumb you would think Archer could.

As I said in the another thread, I'm enjoying season 3, I'm invested in it. So every dumb thing Archer does really stands out. ("Raijiin") You're interviewing -for the second time in three episodes-a prisoner by yourself? and then you *enter the cell with the woman who has telepathic/mind control abilities*? Brilliant Archer.

Not to mention the Trek staple of beaming down...and then...saying things like "The air is breathable".

But, for every one thing they do wrong, they do three things right. I just quibble a lot.

I always have a little trouble initially with alien cast members (I didn't like Spock when I first saw him), and Phlox reminded me too much of Neelix with his makeup and constant merriment. Though a continually cranky alien might be hard to take, too. T'Pol might fit the cranky mode though.

Trip's accent didn't bother me too much, as I knew people who talked like that back in the Ozarks (which Trinneer apparently based it on). It was a risky choice, because Trip could have easily turned into a good ol' boy redneck ala Dukes of Hazzard.

And poor Travis winds up with the short stick. We learn he grew up on a freighter, but not much is made of it afterwards. And after establishing he's an outdoors type, later references to that have him get injured while rock climbing or he's the first crewman to be incapacitated by the threat-of-the-week.

But the actors all seemed to gel with their characters and relationships fairly quickly. Scene chemistry was pretty good all around, just about any two of the actors could be put in a room together and create something interesting.

Too bad they couldn't have gotten someone like Morgan Freeman to play the scraggly, space-boomer XO.

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Or Terrence Howard, in his early 30s at the time, but he was already getting noticed for his film work. I didn't have a problem with Anthony Montgomery, just that he was sometimes reduced to "Entering standard orbit, Captain" lines too often, like early Sulu.